Technology Investment Programme

The GEP is supporting the creation of new venture capital funds to lead the next generation of early-stage venture capital technology investing. Get involved here.

The Technology Investment Programme (TIP) enables global investors to participate in the creation and growth of new and existing venture funds that are based in the UK, but have a truly global perspective. The TIP works to ensure the funds have the highest relevance, management calibre and dealflow to succeed during the next era of venture investing.

Our objective: to de-risk your investments

Historically, early-stage venture capital investing carries higher risk than Private Equity investment. The Technology Investment Programme works alongside the GEP to help reduce these risks for the TIP funds by making the wider resources of UK Trade & Investment’s global networks available to them.

Gaining access to these global networks would be very expensive for any small fund to achieve by themselves, thus the TIP enables its new funds to punch considerably above their weight. TIP funds address global issues by identifying technologies to help solve the world's energy and climate challenges as well as targeting the discovery of the next Google or Skype. It’s ambitious but clearly achievable!

Access to proprietary dealflow

Through direct collaboration with the Global Entrepreneur Programme, the funds gain access to unique, proprietary dealflow sourced by our own global team of Dealmakers.

The Dealmakers are experts in their own fields and this close collaboration assists the funds in gaining significant advantage by helping address some of the major global environmental, social, energy, health and technology challenges that will face most nations over the coming years.

Professional management

The TIP is directed by our most senior serving dealmaker Eric Van der Kleij,

Eric Van der Kleij,

who together with the full GEP team are highly experienced entrepreneurs, technologists and financiers recruited by the UK Government to help identify and grow technologies of exceptional potential on a global scale.

GEP team are highly experienced entrepreneurs, technologists and financiers recruited by the UK Government to help identify and grow technologies of exceptional potential on a global scale.

How do I establish a fund?

Qualified investors are provided with a professional ready-made Programme. This Programme can help you to either establish a new early-stage venture fund in the UK, or to introduce you to existing UK-based venture funds that have agreed to collaborate with our Programme. The TIP provides efficient ‘glidepath’ to help investors understand the qualification requirements or to create or manage their own funds. These are delivered by the highest-calibre professional legal, accounting, and merchant banking advisors that the Programme has engaged.

Establishing a new fund

After initial discussions with us, professional advisors are introduced to provide free initial consultations to determine the most appropriate legal and accounting structures best suited to your particular circumstances. The professional advisors also conduct normal due diligence on source of funds and identification of the clients in accordance with UK legislation.

Briefly, the process contains some or all of the following steps:

- Initial discussions with the Technology Investment Programme

- Decision to move forwards

- Exchange Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the UK Trade & Investment’s TIP

- We introduce professional advisors for initial legal/accounting/structuring consultations

- We make introductions for recruitment of UK-based investment team, plus investors own management if appropriate.

- Fund structure/remit established and begins considering GEP dealflow.

An advantage of a new fund is that it can make investments that are more aligned with your own business interests, and provide opportunities for skills or technology transfer to your own home location or businesses.

How to invest in an existing fund

To invest in an existing fund, you would become a Limited Partner (LP) investing alongside other LP's in a UK-based fund that already has established investment managers. The fund may have already made investments.

A professional legal advisor is introduced to represent and ensure your legal interests as an LP within the fund, and also conducts normal source of fund and client ID activities.

The TIP already has a number of funds who obtain access to the Global Entrepreneur Programme’s proprietary dealflow.

Next steps

Venture Capital investing is not for everyone. If you are a high-net-worth individual, family office, corporate or fund-of-fund investor you may qualify as a "sophisticated investor" under the terms of the UK investment guidelines and could be eligible to become a Limited Partner in an existing fund - or establish your own fund.

As a first step, please submit a confidential enquiry and Eric Van der Kleij, Director of the TIP will make contact to explore the possibilities further.

confidential enquiry and Eric Van der Kleij, Director of the TIP will make contact to explore the possibilities further.